Jo Blundell
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joblundell.bsky.social
Jo Blundell
@joblundell.bsky.social
Recovering user of the other place. Co-Director at Place Matters and place-based, community-centred change nerd.
Reposted by Jo Blundell
COUNTDOWN TO CONFERENCE
Join @joblundell.bsky.social, Co-CEO @placematters.bsky.social, and @martinrgeorge.bsky.social, Deputy Editor of LGC, for our breakout on 'How might we work with communities to achieve sustainable social and economic change'.

sasevents.eventsair.com/ied-conferen....
November 17, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
We are excited to unveil another confirmed speaker for #IEDConf2025!

Joining us in Manchester is @joblundell.bsky.social, Co-CEO of @placematters.bsky.social.

Early bird tickets remain on sale until 30th June. Grab yours here sasevents.eventsair.com/ied-conferen...!
June 23, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Great to see this strategy leveraging Dartington’s huge legacy into a catalytic and systemic role.
📣 It’s here - our new vision for building #ThrivingFutures with and for #ChildrenAndYoungPeople! We’ve got big plans for the next 5 years that we believe will help create real and lasting change for children and young people all over the country.

Learn more: bit.ly/Thriving-Fut...

#SystemicChange
April 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🧑‍🤝‍🧑Who's benefiting from #PlaceBased initiatives?

84% of projects in our research support Children/Young People. But older adults, the homeless, & those with complex health needs see less funds.
How can place-based approaches work for all?

See more: https://buff.ly/4ekP09L
November 21, 2024 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🤝 Who are collaborating in place-based initiatives?

Our Insights Report analysis shows that 70% of projects collaborate with the community. But, education, Housing, and the Police are less engaged.

How can we make cross-sector collaborations widespread? https://buff.ly/4ekP09L
November 26, 2024 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
⏳ Are we allowing enough time and resources for #SystemsChange?

Our Insights report shows the average #PlaceBased project runs 5.3 years, with #funding often under £1M. To drive true impact, longer commitments & more resources may be needed.

Read More: https://buff.ly/4ekP09L
November 19, 2024 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🔍 Where are the gaps in #PlaceBased #funding?

Our report reveals whilst London & the Northwest appear well served, the East of England, East Midlands, & Northern Ireland are much less so. We must address these regional disparities!

Explore more: https://buff.ly/4ekP09L
November 14, 2024 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🌍 In 2023, a convening of UK #funders inspired the creation of our #PlaceBased Map & Insights Report revealing the distribution of £62M across 114 projects tackling systemic challenges. We'll be highlighting our key insights, stay tuned!

Read more: https://buff.ly/4ekP09L
November 11, 2024 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🎉 Huge congrats to Dame Julia Cleverdon on becoming Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund.

As our Chair, Dame Julia has inspired us through her dedication to #CommunityEmpowerment & "connecting the unconnected." We know she’ll bring her incredible energy to her new role. Congratulations!
November 13, 2024 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🌟 Huge thanks to @bridgespangroup.bsky.social for sharing their insights on #FieldBuilding for #PlaceBasedChange on Monday. The Q&A sparked great discussion, and it’s clear there’s real momentum for this work in the UK!

Missed it? Access the resources and recording: https://buff.ly/4e0lUw0
October 25, 2024 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🌟 We welcome the launch of Partnerships for Local Action and Community Empowerment (PLACE), as a new centre for learning and development of place-based change in Australia and look forward to following it's achievements closely! bit.ly/3UA4v6x
Partnerships for Local Action and Community Empowerment (PLACE) announcement | Department of Social Services Ministers
bit.ly
November 1, 2024 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
🌟 Congratulations to Cradle to Career for being named as Collaborative Initiative of the Year by The Institute of Economic Development!

We're proud to support this impactful, place-based programme at Place Matters. Read more in New Local's article!

#PlaceBasedChange #RightToSucceed #LCR
In North Birkenhead, Cradle to Career is a living example of what happens when services join up, driven by community priorities. They have:

⏺ Reduced social care referrals by 20%
⏺ Closed 15-month reading age gap
⏺ Gone from the highest-need community in Wirral to 4th highest

How: buff.ly/48Ia20D
Cradle to Career: How place-based collaboration is transforming North Birkenhead - New Local
In North Birkenhead a unique programme is joining up services and putting community priorities at the heart of decision making, creating impact that could make it a model for national policy change.
buff.ly
November 7, 2024 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
What would a community-powered NHS look like?

Our grid sets out the limits of traditional state and market paradigms that dominate health provision.

A new #CommunityParadigm puts people at the heart of healthcare, centring communities, not services and people, not professionals.
September 13, 2024 at 11:27 AM
Place Matters
www.placematters.org.uk
September 6, 2024 at 4:04 PM
We at @placematters.bsky.social convene an amazing group who are stewarding some research and experimentation to improve trust and belief in place-based change. Here are some of our early thoughts medium.com/@placematter...
How do we build trust and belief in the effectiveness of place-based change?
One of the dilemmas of place-based change is the difficulty to demonstrate value and impact in a way that works equally for those that fund…
medium.com
August 15, 2024 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
Calling all folk with an interest in UK public policy: I’ve created a starter pack of think tankers, policy analysts & commentators active on @bsky.app go.bsky.app/LtNiL1o
August 14, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Really interesting article from our friends at Bridgespan Group on what systems change can learn from Field Building around measuring impact www.bridgespan.org/insights/phi...
What Philanthropists Can Learn from Field Catalysts About Measuring Progress on Systems Change
How funders can understand the progress field catalysts are making on systems change.
www.bridgespan.org
August 15, 2024 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
the effects of austerity & persistent socio-economic decline on local communities provide fertile ground for grievance & unrest, & the far-right capitalises on this

latest(but probably not last)deeply troubling manifestation of the revenge of the places that don’t matter?
www.ft.com/content/c831...
Far-right riots centred on England’s deprivation hotspots
Areas hit by violence also have high proportion of asylum seekers housed there, FT analysis shows
www.ft.com
August 8, 2024 at 10:57 PM
Time that Councils think and work systemically including insourcing where fractured provision gets in the way of that.
How are local authorities responding to financial pressures?

Research underway at New Local with the International Public Policy Observatory highlights the nature of the challenges facing councils & how they are thinking differently: read our new blog for more ⬇️
www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/how...
How Local Authorities Are Thinking Differently Under Unprecedented Financial Pressures - New Local
Councils are facing reduced funding, rising demand and increasing costs. New Local and IPPO's research project explores how local authorities are responding and what we can learn.
www.newlocal.org.uk
August 9, 2024 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Jo Blundell
I'm going to track down as many of you as I can. Please could people repost me, so others can see I am here - and I can find them, and them me. Blue skies, herds of unicorns and sunlit uplands beckon. Oh...and another two Tory candidates bite the dust, I understand 👍👍👍
October 20, 2023 at 3:21 PM
Going to be posting things about communities leading change through the work of www.placematters.co.uk. Might be the occasional rant too.
Place Matters | Place-based change
Place Matters is a centre for learning about place-based change in the UK
www.placematters.co.uk
August 9, 2024 at 8:56 AM